Sticky
by electric gurrl
Summary: "Why is it putting its food on my plate?" / Azula and a toddler match wits. Oneshot.


A/N: Let's place this where everybody is in their mid-twenties and everybody is married and it's all good. Unfortunately, LoK has yet to name the Fire Lord, so I'm going to make up a name for the toddler princess. And change it once it is revealed on LoK.

I feel kind of terrible for posting Maiko on Zutara week. But this is supposed to be canon. I apologize. I ship Zutara too, I really do.

* * *

"Why is it putting its food on my plate?" Azula demands, staring at the soggy mushrooms on the sparkling gold cutlery.

The culprit is the hands of a girl with thick black hair, skin as white as her mother's and eyes that look uncannily like Princess Azula's, who is two years old as of today. The toddler has been continuously removing the food from her golden tray and placing the pieces on her aunt's, who is wedged on the sofa between Ty Lee and Mai. Zirah runs between her father, who is on the other side of the room with a gathering of his friends who have come from Kyoshi Island, Republic City and Ba Sing Se to celebrate the second birthday of the crown princess.

Traitors all of them, Azula believes personally. But she supposes she has to live with it. But this _child_, this _sticky _child, she would rather not deal with. Ty Lee keeps rubbing her leg and telling her to have open posture and laugh at people's jokes and try to not smile so "connivingly". All the while, Zirah continuously assaults her aunt with food from her plate.

"She wants you to eat it, Azula," Zuko says, briefly looking up from his conversation with the Avatar.

"It has toddler _slobber_ on it. I'm royalty; I don't eat _toddler slobber_," Azula replies sharply, picking up the mushrooms with distaste and putting them onto Zirah's plate. Zirah swiftly puts them back on Azula's.

"Now watch," Mai murmurs into Azula's ear, "as the conqueror of Ba Sing Se is outsmarted by a two year old."

Azula's eye twitches. "Okay, little sticky child," she says, pulling away from her wife and best friend and kneeling in front of her niece, "this is your food. It goes in _your _mouth. If you don't want it, you give it to your mother or your father. I am older than you. I outrank you. If I wanted to, I could pick you up and throw you across this room. Your food. Your mouth. Your choice."

Ty Lee is shaking with silent giggles as Mai's eyes sparkle with amusement. Zirah's eyes narrow, locking with Azula's gaze. Azula practiced Ozai's glare and performs it occasion upon occasion with great success; so far, it _always _gets her what she wants. Only once in a while does she have to make a quip about how hard fire is to control.

Zirah attempts to mimic the vicious look and Azula is mildly impressed.

"Did your kid just do the Azula glare?" Ty Lee whispers to Mai and Mai shrugs.

Azula does not understand children. Out of all of her years of being able to read people like books, little kids baffle her. Their eyes are vacant and void of story or intonation. When they talk, they don't use real words and she struggles to guess what they mean. Zirah is no different.

The toddler follows her everywhere. She will tug on Azula, and grab her hands with her sticky mitts and make Azula's hands sticky. Consistently hand Azula toys, which are also incredibly sticky. She will even follow her to the bathroom or her bedroom, waiting outside until some nanny whisks her away or Azula surrenders with _some _of her dignity.

Zirah says something baffling. A string of syllables that _might _be words or _might _not.

"Speak like a human being if you want me to respond," Azula purrs, standing up. Her knees crack slightly. If she hurts herself training firebending tomorrow at dawn because of this child she might _actually _throw it across the room.

"She's trying to talk, Azula," Ty Lee says, touching Zirah's shoulders. "She wants to play with you."

"She's two and has yet to say something coherent. I was reading by the time I was three and firebending by the time I was four. This child is inarguably unimpressive." Azula crosses her arms. "A pet is more articulate."

"My daughter is very smart and pretty and special," Mai says, though her tone remains flat and gravelly the entire time. Azula thinks she means it, but perhaps it is a joke. "But, yeah, I wish she would talk too."

"Don't you have mother's intuition?" Ty Lee asks, picking up Zirah and setting her firmly on her lap. Zirah struggles, reaching her sticky hands out at Azula, whom does not move. She is still trying to force food onto Azula's plate. "Can't you just tell what she wants?"

"I guess." Mai shrugs and kisses Zirah's cheek. "Sometimes her words kind of make sense. Kind of."

Azula turns around. "I'm going to find something to drink. Maybe I'll be back."

"Auntzula!" cries Zirah.

"What?" Azula turns around, examining the squishy sticky beast closely. "Did she just...?"

"Auntzula."

Ty Lee grins. "That is so adorable I'm going to die," she squeals, hugging Zirah close to her.

"You make a good case for yourself, sticky," Azula says coolly, suppressing a smile. "Trying to tug on my heartstrings to get me to do your bidding. Unfortunately, I don't have a heart to toy with."

"Auntzula."

Azula sighs, and holds out her plate. Zirah sets the last of her food on it. Content, the toddler sinks into her Aunt Ty Lee's arms.

Walking away, Azula smirks slightly. Perhaps the sticky toddler is not entirely incompetent.

"ZuZu, I got this for you." She pushes the plate into her brother's hands as she brushes past.

Smart kid. _Auntzula_. Please.


End file.
